Atlantic City Restaurant/Buffet Recommendations?

Sheryl Rosen said:

I got elected to coordinate a trip to Atlantic City on
May 15th.

The group I'm going with is a fan club for a minor league
baseball team. Our team is playing in AC at 1pm. The game
will be over around 4-4:30. The stadium is near, but not
on, the Boardwalk. We'd like to stop someplace for about 3
hours to take in the local sights.

Many of the folks going are not gamblers, but some will
gamble. I'd like to find a place with fun, moderate to low
stakes gambling, GREAT food for a very good value, and
preferably on the Boardwalk, so that people who don't
gamble a lot will be able to keep themselves busy for a
couple hours.

There are no buffets in AC that have "great" food. They
have a lot of food, but it is pretty mediocre, however
fancy the name of the dishes offered. THe other types of
hotel restaurants fall into 2 categories...overpriced and
of moderate to poor diner quality and high priced. The
quality of the high price places varies widly...the Boragta
(not on the boardwalk).. has several very good, but
seriously priced restaurants, while the other pricey hotel
restaurants may be worth the money on a given night, but
are as liable not to be.

The advantage of being on the boardwalk side, is that eating
can be done outside from vendors or places along the
boardwalk, rather than in the hotels, themselves. You might
want to take a trip down one weekend soon so you have some
idea of the lay of the land.

Low stakes gambling is in the mind of the
beholder...there are nickel and quarter slots & video
poker machines and on busy weekends you might be able to
find a few $10 game tables, but most are $15 and up. This
is true of most casinos.

Some casinos are more comfortable than others to gamble in.
Again, you may want to check out the places on the boardwalk
and make some recommendations, as you know the requirements
of your group. Casinos are quite smokey and loud and some
can be mobbed late on a Saturday. I love that atmosphere,
but not everyone does.

Quoted message said:

The hotels do not give out vouchers/tokens unless you
commit to a minimum of 5 or 6 hours, and we do not want to
stay that long, so we can pretty much go wherever we tell
the driver to take us.

Be sure the driver has a legal place to park and pick you
all up. The individual hotels have such places, but without
a tie-in to one, I , myself, am unfamiliar with procedures.
I am there at least once a month, but always drive.

Quoted message said:

Since I'm planning the trip, I'd like to choose a casino
with the best food! (slot machines and craps tables are all
the same, right?)

Net net...AC itself is not a gourmet paradise, unless one
wants to make reservations and pay quite a bit. The machines
and tables are not all the same, but for folks who are not
serious gamblers, this may not make a difference. Talk to
those in your group who have gone to AC and ask their
opinions. They can offer the best advice.

As far as the local sights...a stroll along the boardwalk on
a warm spring evening can be lovely, as can a hot dog and
paper cup full of fries or some salt water taffy. One need
never enter a casino to have a little fun for a few hours,
just walking around and taking in the local scenery.

Boron

in article [email hidden], Boron Elgar at
[email hidden] wrote on 4/1/04 10:25 AM:

Quoted message said:

Net net...AC itself is not a gourmet paradise, unless one
wants to make reservations and pay quite a bit. The
machines and tables are not all the same, but for folks
who are not serious gamblers, this may not make a
difference. Talk to those in your group who have gone to
AC and ask their opinions. They can offer the best advice.

As far as the local sights...a stroll along the boardwalk
on a warm spring evening can be lovely, as can a hot dog
and paper cup full of fries or some salt water taffy. One
need never enter a casino to have a little fun for a few
hours, just walking around and taking in the local
scenery.

Boron

I got in touch with the bus company who sweet-talked
someone at the Hilton into letting us come for 3 hours. No
freebies, but it's apparently a very big deal to have a bus
drop you off at a hotel/casino in Atlantic City. WHO
KNEW??? They want you to stay for 6 hours minimum. So the
charter bus company made it sound like they really pulled
some strings. Whatever.

I'm sure it will be fine. The gamblers will be able to spend
their money. The eaters will find several choices there. The
beach at the Hilton is supposed to be beautiful, so if
someone wants to take a walk in the sand, there's that, too.
I'm sure there's stuff to see and do and no one will have
trouble filling those 3 hours.

It will be a very long day. We leave at 8am. It's a 4-4.5
hour drive. We have a 3-3.5 hour ballgame to enjoy, then
there's the side trip to the casino/boardwalk--then another
4+ hour trip home.

Thanks for your help!

I know this place might not qualify as a restaurant but the
White House Sub shop rarely dissaponts. You can pick up a
sub there and eat it on he boardwalk. Save your money for
Salt Water taffy at Phillips.

See:

cityatlantic.comwhite house sub shop.htmlOpen ↗

and

hollyeats.comWhiteHouseSubs.htmOpen ↗

Hope this helps..

Bruce

Bruce K. said:

I know this place might not qualify as a restaurant but
the White House Sub shop rarely dissaponts. You can pick
up a sub there and eat it on he boardwalk. Save your money
for Salt Water taffy at Phillips.

Save your money is right. Once when we were discussing stuff
people missed from the Jersey shore, someone said Salt Water
taffy. Found myself in AC a short time later and thought,
let me pick up a box for that person. I almost fell over
when I saw how expensive it was. For what it is, I mean ...
it seems to me like cheap candy. What do I know.

nancy

Nancy Young <[email hidden]> wrote in news:406D6520.8C25C102
@mail.monmouth.com:

Quoted message said:

Bruce K. said:

I know this place might not qualify as a restaurant but
the White House Sub shop rarely dissaponts. You can pick
up a sub there and eat it on he boardwalk. Save your
money for Salt Water taffy at Phillips.

Save your money is right. Once when we were discussing
stuff people missed from the Jersey shore, someone said
Salt Water taffy. Found myself in AC a short time later
and thought, let me pick up a box for that person. I
almost fell over when I saw how expensive it was. For
what it is, I mean ... it seems to me like cheap candy.
What do I know.

nancy

Yes, salt water taffy is surprisingly expensive for what it
is, but it's soooo good! If you're nowhere near the east
coast, but have Cracker Barrel Old Country Store nearby,
they carry a rather good brand of SWT. The taffy is the
style wrapped in short logs and packed in a box, and is
usually always fresh. The flavor variety is all the old-
fashioned flavors.

Wayne

Boron Elgar said:

There are no buffets in AC that have "great" food. They
have a lot of food, but it is pretty mediocre, however
fancy the name of the dishes offered. THe other types of
hotel restaurants fall into 2 categories...overpriced and
of moderate to poor diner quality and high priced. The
quality of the high price places varies widly...the
Boragta (not on the boardwalk).. has several very good,
but seriously priced restaurants, while the other pricey
hotel restaurants may be worth the money on a given night,
but are as liable not to be.

That's not true. There are a few buffets (not many) in AC
that are very good. One is Virginia City in the Wild West
casino. Another is the Borgota's buffet. I have eaten in
both those buffets two or three times each and they are as
good as anything I have had in Vegas.

Quoted message said:

Boron Elgar said:

There are no buffets in AC that have "great" food. They
have a lot of food, but it is pretty mediocre, however
fancy the name of the dishes offered. THe other types of
hotel restaurants fall into 2 categories...overpriced and
of moderate to poor diner quality and high priced. The
quality of the high price places varies widly...the
Boragta (not on the boardwalk).. has several very good,
but seriously priced restaurants, while the other pricey
hotel restaurants may be worth the money on a given
night, but are as liable not to be.

That's not true. There are a few buffets (not many) in AC
that are very good. One is Virginia City in the Wild West
casino. Another is the Borgota's buffet. I have eaten in
both those buffets two or three times each and they are as
good as anything I have had in Vegas.

I beg to differ. I was at the Borgata last Saturday and
there is nothing I had at that point that changed my mind (I
was there the day they opened and a lot more times between
then and now, too). I can vouch for the exceptional quality
of two of their restaurants, though
- Suilan and Mixx provided memorable dining experiences with
impeccable service and wonderful food.

It is not that I will never go to the buffets in AC...I get
comped for a lot down there & a fast lunch, carefully chosen
from among the things I know to be ok, is a cheap way to
eat, but it is not "great" food. Borgata's buffet is much
better than others...it is newer and cleaner and a more
pleasant atmosphere, but that is it...nothing to write home
about. It is, too, as you mention, nowhere near the
Boardwalk and thus, disqualified from consideration, anyway.

I am not a fan of Bally's and have not gone to the buffet
there in a couple of years (though I was at the casino last
week), so unless there has been a marked improvement, I
cannot comment.

I also cannot make any comparisons to Vegas, as I have not
been there in about 3 years, but from frequent visits there
in the past, the buffets can be interesting and though it is
not impossible to find something unusual and delish, the
general quality is just not that of a good restaurant. Keep
in mind that comparing AC buffets to Vegas buffets is not
the same as comparing either to quality restaurant food.

For most of these places, long lines at prime meal times,
wilted salads, steam table foods and an excess of usually
overdone and often dry meats, fish and poultry, just don't
appeal to me.

That said, I hope that many of my experiences have just
been unlucky in timing and that these places are as good
as you say.

By the way, the hotel part of the Borgata is also a delight.
Lovely rooms.

Boron

Sheryl Rosen said:

in article [email hidden],
Boron Elgar at [email hidden] wrote on
4/1/04 10:25 AM:

Quoted message said:

Net net...AC itself is not a gourmet paradise, unless one
wants to make reservations and pay quite a bit. The
machines and tables are not all the same, but for folks
who are not serious gamblers, this may not make a
difference. Talk to those in your group who have gone to
AC and ask their opinions. They can offer the best
advice.

As far as the local sights...a stroll along the boardwalk
on a warm spring evening can be lovely, as can a hot dog
and paper cup full of fries or some salt water taffy. One
need never enter a casino to have a little fun for a few
hours, just walking around and taking in the local
scenery.

Boron

I got in touch with the bus company who sweet-talked
someone at the Hilton into letting us come for 3 hours. No
freebies, but it's apparently a very big deal to have a bus
drop you off at a hotel/casino in Atlantic City. WHO
KNEW??? They want you to stay for 6 hours minimum. So the
charter bus company made it sound like they really pulled
some strings. Whatever.

I'm sure it will be fine. The gamblers will be able to
spend their money. The eaters will find several choices
there. The beach at the Hilton is supposed to be beautiful,
so if someone wants to take a walk in the sand, there's
that, too. I'm sure there's stuff to see and do and no one
will have trouble filling those 3 hours.

It will be a very long day. We leave at 8am. It's a 4-4.5
hour drive. We have a 3-3.5 hour ballgame to enjoy, then
there's the side trip to the casino/boardwalk--then another
4+ hour trip home.

Thanks for your help!

A pleasure. I hope you all have a lot of fun.

My advice? Sleep on the bus (this advice applies to all
except the bus driver!)

Boron